Anti-war protests erupt in over fifty cities in Russia, the biggest protests being in St. Petersburg. Thousands of protesters gather in the country’s second largest city to protest president Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. 

  Russian citizens are starting to feel wary of Putin’s leadership, which hasn’t been commonly seen in the past. Not only are average citizens voicing their opposition to Putin, but public figures in Russia have begun to speak out as well. Director of state-funded theater in the Russian capital, Yelena Kovalskaya, announced via- Facebook that she is quitting her job because she no longer wanted to work under Putin. 

  In St. Petersburg, protesters chant ‘no to war’ and hold signs to object to Putin’s decision outside what appears to be a Russian government building. Russian government forces threaten to arrest protesters who take to the streets. Police dispersed through the crowd wearing helmets and full uniforms. Police hit people and pushed protesters to the ground which is seen in footage posted from the protest. It is reported that over 1,400 people were detained in fifty-one cities, 378 of those being in St. Petersburg.